Necktie clasp



Feb. 10, 1953 R. A. BROWN 2,627,636

NECKTIE CLASP Filed Nov. 19, 1951 INVENT OR Poberl" A. Bron/n ddhmramATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 10, 1953 STATES TENT OFFICE NECKTIE CLASPApplication November 19, 1951, Serial No. 257,055

6 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in necktie clasps and moreparticularly to the type including a front bar and a rear claspingelement resiliently engageable with portions of a shirt front andnecktie for clamping the same to the front bar.

The prior art has concerned itself with various types of clasp-ingelements and various arrangements for mounting the clasping elements.For example, heretofore, arrangements have been provided wherein aresilient clasping element has an intermediate portion thereof carriedby the supporting arm of the clasp, providing a pair of gripping orclamping portions on opposite sides of said intermediate portion forcooperation with the back face of the front bar. Others, such as the Mixpatent, 1,973,099, employ the front bar and supporting arm with anoperating lever pivotally mounted on the supporting arm and carrying atthe free end thereof a clasping member having a pair of grippingportions, the lever being operable to disengage the clasping member fromits clasping position. In the Mix patent, the olasping member is free topivot, no'means being provided to control the angular positioning of theclasping member relative to the front bar.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide anecktie clasp wherein a resilient clasping member is employed with levermeans for effecting movement of the member into and out of claspingengagement with the front member, and wherein the means controls theangular relationship between the clasping memher and front bar.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a necktieclasp wherein the lever means is in sliding operative connection withthe clasping member and the claspi-ng member has an end portion fixedlysecured to the supporting arm whereby pivoting of the lever meanseffects flexing of the clamping member, movement of the outer clampingportion of said clamping member being to a greater degree than themovement of the inner clamping portion so that the clasp can be readilyengaged with portions of a necktie and shirt front.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an arrangementwherein the clamping member is of flat elongated form provided with apair of gripping portions, the member being resilient and having one endthereof fixed to the inside surface of the supporting arm so that theaxis of the clamping member is in substantially parallel relationshipwith the front bar when clamping a necktie to a shirt front portion.

Various other objects and advantages will be come apparent from thedetailed description to follow.

The best form in which I have contemplated applying my invention isclearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is aside elevational view of the entire necktie clasp showin thesame-in clampingengagement with portions of a shirt front and necktie;

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective exploded viewiof the several elementswhich comprise the necktie clasp of the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal longitudinal sectional view taken substantiallyalong the plane. of line 63 of Fig. 1';

Fig. 4 is a horizontal longitudinal sectional view taken substantiallyalong the plane of line :i i of Fig. 1; and

ig. 5 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially alongthe plane of line 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Pw ferring more. particularly to the drawings wherein like numeralsdesignate like parts throughout, the numeral 2 designates generally thenecktie clasp of the present invention which is comprised of anelongated bar t; claspingor clamping member G, operating lever 8 andspring element it.

Looking. first at Fig. 2, it will be seen that the elongated bar t isformed from flat metallic stock having an elongated slot 12 throughout asubstantial portion of the length thereof providing separated barportions Hi and It. A substantial length of the bar i comprises thefrontbar of the necktie clasp whereas the end portion 13 bent backwardlyupon the front bar providesa supporting arm. lntermediately of the endsof the front bar, the pair of front bar portions l4 and it are joined asat it. At this intermediate portion, ornamentation can be" applied tothe front bar such as the rectangular plate ilhavin the ornamentalelement 24 carried" thereby. It is to be understood that various typesof ornamentation can be applied to the front bar or entirely omitted asdesired.

The-supportin arm It has a main imperforate portion is immediatelyadjacent the bend 28 joining the supporting arm with the front bar withthe free endof the supporting arm 18 bifurcated at 36 providing thefurcations 32- and ti. of the iurcations 32 and has abearmgprojection orpin 38, 38 extending therefrom and in axial alignment for a purpose tobe understood more fully hereinafter.

fhe clamping or clasping member 6 1s formed from flat thin resilientmaterial and is provided with an attaching portion ii! andreversely-curved portions 42 and M, the end remote from the attachingportion 48 extending in a directionsubstantially opposite to that 1nwhich the attaching portlon iii extends, at 46. The reversely curvedportions 42 and 44 provide a pairofclamping miss at 38 and 50. Theclamping member 6- is of .operating lever. nested within the operatinglever 8 with the leg 82 engaged against the inside surface 88 of a widthsubstantially equal to the width of the bar 4 so that with the attachingportion 48 secured to the inside surface 52 of the imperforate portion26 of the supporting arm, as by solder or rivets or any other suitablemeans, the clamping member may coact with the back surface of the frontbar in a manner to be more fully described hereinafter.

With continued reference to Fig. 2, it will be seen that the operatinglever B is of substantially channel form, having a pair of side walls 54and 56 joined by a top Wall 58. One end of the operating lever 8 isformed with an enlarged flattened substantially circular head at 66providing a finger-engaging portion for operation of the lever whenmounted on the necktie clasp. .The closely spaced portions 55 and of thepair of side walls 54 and 56 have aligned openings 62 and 64 forreception of the bearing projections 36 and 38 of the supporting arm H3.The width of the operating lever at the wall portions is sufiicientlynarrow for free pivoting movement between the furcations of thesupporting arm. The end of the operating lever remote from the enlargedhead 60 is provided with a wide, flat portion 66 having a pair ofinturned ears 68 and 18 carried by the opposing .edges 12 and 14. TheWidth of the widened portion 66 and the distance between the inturnedears 6B and 18 is such as to slidably receive the intermediate portion15 of the clamping member. The spring I0 is formed from an elongatedresilient wire element 18 having a coiled portion at 80 and legs 82 and84, the leg 84 having an angulated portion at 86.

The assembly of the elements individually shown in Fig. 2 is bestdisclosed in Figs. 1, 3, 4 and 5. The clamping member 6 has the taperedattaching portion 40 secured to the inside surface 52 of the taperedimperforate portion 26 of the supporting arm by solder, weld or anyother means, as desired. The configuration and resiliency of theclamping member will be such as to have the clamping member normallyresiliently engageable with the back side of the front bar. Theoperating lever 8 has its ears 68 and Ill engaged over the clampingmember and moved to a position wherein the ears are in engagement withthe intermediate portion 76 of the clamping member whereupon the bearingprojections 36 and 38 of the supporting arm can be engaged in theapertures 62 and 64 of the The spring [0 has the leg 82 the top wall 58as seen in Fig. 1. The loop or The other leg With the foregoingarrangement of parts, it

-will be seen that the spring In and normal resiliency of the clampingmember will normally urge the clamping ribs 48 and 56 into clampingengagement with the front bar of the necktie clasp. When it is desiredto apply the necktie clasp to portions of a shirt front and necktie, theenlarged head 60 of the operating lever is depressed toward thesupporting arm. It will -be seen that, upon depression of the operatinglever, the ears 68 and 10 and the flat wall portion 66 will sliderelative to the clamping member and move from a first intermediateposition to a second intermediate position. Inasmuch as the supportingarm I8 is disposed in angular relationship with the front bar, and sincethe operating lever is pivoted about an axis spaced outwardly of theattachment portion of the clamping member relative to the front bar, theaction of the operating lever upon depression will be such as to effectmovement of the outer clamping rib 50 away from the front bar to agreater extent than the rib 48 will be moved relative to the front bar.With the clamping member in the retracted position, the necktie claspcan be engaged with the front bar in front of the necktie 92 and theclamping member behind the portion of the shirt front 94. Upon releaseof the operating lever, the clamping member will be urged into clampingengagement with the portions of the necktie and shirt front in themanner shown in Fig. 1.

It will be seen that, with the provision of one end of the clampingmember attached to the inside surface of the supporting arm, thepositioning of the clamping member relative to the front bar will becontrolled. The movement of the clamping member Will be substantiallypivotal in nature but will be accompanied by substantial flexing due tothe fixed connection between the attachment portion and the supportingarm. In this fashion, the clamping member may be moved into and out ofengagement with the portions of the shirt front and necktie in asubstantially uniform manner. Furthermore, the operation of the clampingmember will be such as to eliminate the wrinkling of the tie and shirtfront occurring in necktie clasp-s of the prior art such as hereinbeforereferred to.

In view of the description of the construction and operation of thenecktie clasp of the present invention, it is believed that all of theobjects hereinbefore set forth have been effectively attained.

Having thus described my invention, what is claimed is;

1. A clasp for neckties comprising an elongated bar having one endthereof bent backwardly upon itself through an are less than providing asupporting arm in angular relation to the bar, said supporting arm beingbifurcated and having a pair of axially aligned bearing projectionsextending from the pair of furcations, an operating lever pivotallycarriedby said pair of hearing projections, and a resilient clampingmember having one end thereof connected to said supporting arm at aportion spaced from the pivot of the lever with the main portion thereofdisposed for resiliently clamping portions of a shirt front and anecktie against said bar, said lever having a portion spaced from thepivotal axis thereof provided with a pair of inturned ears, anintermediate portion of said clamping member being slidingly receivedbetween said ears and slidingly engaged against said portion of thelever, pivoting movement of said lever effecting relative movementbetween said portion of the lever and said clamping member whereby thefree end portion of said clamping member is moved relative to said bar adistance greater than the distance the remaining portions of theclamping member move.

2. A clasp for neckties comprising an elongated bar having one endthereof bent backwardly upon itself to provide a supporting arm inspaced relation to the bar, an operating lever pivotally carried by saidsupporting arm, and a clamping member having one end thereof fixedlysecured to said supporting arm at a portion spaced a fixed distance fromthe pivot of the lever with the main portion thereof disposed fornormally resiliently clamping portions of a shirt front and necktieagainst said bar, means longitudinally slidably connecting an endportion of said lever relative to an intermediate portion of saidclamping member so that upon depression of said lever, relativelongitudinal movement between said end portion of the lever and saidclamping member is effected and the free end portion of said clampingmember is moved relatively away from said bar a distance greater thanthe distance the remaining portions of the clamping member move so as toreceive the portions to be clamped with facility.

3. A clasp for neckties comprising an elongated bar having one endthereof bent backwardly upon itself to provide a supporting arm inspaced relation to the bar, an operating lever pivotally carried by saidsupporting arm, and a clamping member having one end thereof fixedlysecured to said supporting arm at a portion spaced a fixed distance fromthe pivot of the lever with the main portion thereof disposed fornormally clamping portions of a shirt front and necktie against saidbar, means longitudinally slidably connecting an end portion of saidlever relative to an intermediate portion of said clamping member sothat upon depression of said lever, relative longitudinal movementbetween said end portion of the lever and said clamping member iseffected and the free end portion of said clamping member is movedrelatively away from said bar a distance greater than the distance theremaining portions of the clamping member move so as to receive theportions to be clamped with facility, and spring means interposedbetween said lever and said supporting arm for resiliently maintainingthe former in its clampin relationship.

4. A clasp for neckties comprising an elongated bar having one endthereof bent backwardly upon itself to provide a supporting arm inspaced relation to the bar, an operatin lever pivotally carried by saidsupporting arm, and a clamping member having one end thereof fixedlysecured to said supporting arm at a portion spaced a fixed distance fromthe pivot of the lever with the main portion thereof disposed fornormally resiliently clamping portions of a shirt front and necktieagainst said bar, said lever having means on an end thereof engaging andconnected to an intermediate portion of said clamping member andlongitudinally slidable relative thereto so that upon depression of saidlever, relative longitudinal movement between said means on the end ofthe lever and said clamping member is effected and the free end portionof said clamping member is moved rela tively away from said bar adistance greater than the distance the remaining portions of theclamping member move so as to receive the portions to be clamped withfacility, said clamping member having a clamping rib disposed on eachside of said sliding connection.

5. A clasp for neckties comprising an elongated bar having one endthereof bent backwardly upon itself through an are less than 180,providing a supporting arm in angular relation to the bar, saidsupporting arm bein bifurcated and having a pair of axially alignedbearing projections extending from the pair of furcations, an operatinglever pivotally carried by said pair of bearing projections, and aresilient clamping member having one end thereof connected to saidsupporting arm at a portion spaced a fixed distance from the pivot ofthe lever with the main portion thereof normally disposed forresiliently clamping portions of a shirt front and a necktie againstsaid bar, said lever having means at a portion spaced from the pivotalaxis thereof longitudinally slidably linked to an intermediate portionof said clamping member, pressure releasing engagement of said levereffecting pivoting movement thereof relative to said supporting arm andlongitudinal movement of the means at said portion of the lever relativeto said clamping member so as to effect retraction of the latter fromits clamping relationship with the bar, the outermost free end of saidclamping member moving a substantially greater distance away from saidbar than does the intermediate portion thereof, said clamping memberreturning to its clamping position upon release of said lever.

6. A clasp for neckties comprising an elongated bar having one endthereof bent backwardly upon itself to provide a supporting arm inspaced relation to the bar, an operating lever pivotally carried by saidarm, and a clamping member having one end thereof connected to said barat a portion spaced from the pivot of the lever with the main portion ofsaid clamping member normally disposed for resiliently clamping portionsof a shirt front and a necktie against said bar, said lever having aportion spaced from the pivotal axis thereof provided with a pair ofinturned ears, a portion of said clamping member being longitudinallyslidingly received between said ears and slidingly engaged against saidportion of the lever, pressure releasing engagement of said levereffecting pivoting releasing movement thereof relative to said arm andlongitudinal movement of said ears relative to said clamping member soas to effect retraction of the latter from its clamping relationshipwith the bar, the outermost free end of said clamping member moving asubstantially greater distance away from said bar than does theintermediate portion thereof so as to facilitate positioning the claspfor receiving the portions of the shirt front and the necktie to beclamped.

ROBERT A. BROWN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 478,794 Hougen July 12, 1892635,850 Hale et al Oct. 31', 1899 906,502 Beymer Dec. 15, 1908 1,604,719Pfiantzer Oct. 26, 1926 1,914,641 Larter June 20, 1933 1,973,009 MixSept. 11, 1934 2,168,946 Rogers Aug. 8, 1939 2,300,068 Silverman Oct.27, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 735,840 France Sept. 6,1932

